1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a removable and replaceable sliding door wheel assembly for use in a sliding door or panel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In conventional sliding door and sliding panel assemblies a flat, rectangular door is oriented in a vertical plane. The top and bottom horizontal edges of the door are constrained to move in horizontally disposed, vertically aligned parallel tracks. Wheel assemblies are provided at the top and bottom edges of the door to facilitate movement of the door, so that the door does not literally slide on the tracks, but rather is carried by the wheels which roll on the tracks. As is well known, rolling friction is substantially less than sliding friction, so that the sliding door can be opened and closed with far less effort than a door of the same weight which literally slides along the tracks.
Sliding or rolling doors of the type described are widely used in the construction of screen doors and glass doors to provide access to porches, patios and other areas. Screen doors of this type are typically constructed with aluminum frames across which a screen mesh is stretched to inhibit the movement of insects and to restrict the amount of dust and wind which can be carried through a doorway. Glass doors of this type are constructed of glass panels held within rectangular aluminum or steel frames and rendered weather tight by a rubber or plastic gasket.
Conventional sliding doors of the type described are typically provided with plastic rollers in the form of wheels mounted for rotation within roller receiving pockets at the corners of the door in the upper and lower edges 15 thereof. Such plastic rollers are economical to manufacture and do not deteriorate from the effects of moisture. However, conventional plastic rollers can frequently become damaged through impacts with obstructions in the tracks in which they travel and through the effects of time, since many plastics become relatively brittle as they age. Very often a portion of a plastic roller wheel will break off, so that the wheel no longer turns properly. When this occurs considerably greater effort is thereafter required to open and close the sliding door. The same effects occur when a wheel or roller no longer turns properly, as a result of corrosion of the axle mechanism or jamming of dirt or grit between the wheel and the wheel housing.
Once a wheel or roller becomes defective, there is a far greater likelihood of damage to the sliding door, due to the excessive force which is required to open and close the door. Also, particularly where a portion of the wheel has broken away, the door no longer travels squarely within the door opening, but rather is easily tilted or cocked within the door frame. The door can thereafter easily become jammed in the frame. Furthermore, the door is quite likely to jump the track and come out of the frame altogether.
Manufacturers of sliding doors have attempted to solve the problem of malfunctioning sliding door wheel assemblies by mounting such assemblies in such a way that the wheel or the entire wheel assembly can be replaced. However, conventional replaceable wheel assemblies which have been employed are often rather intricate and are difficult and expensive to manufacture. This expense is necessarily passed on to the consumer in the form of a higher price for the sliding door. Also, due to the intricacy and complexity of mounting conventional, replaceable sliding door wheel assemblies, the appropriate manner of replacement is not apparent to many consumers who are unfamiliar with the door roller mechanism. Furthermore, even if a user is able to ascertain the manner in which a conventional, sliding door wheel assembly should be replaced, not infrequently the actual replacement process requires special tools or tools of a particular size or configuration which the user does not readily have at hand. As a consequence, the user is quite likely to forego replacement of the wheel assembly and simply make due with a malfunctioning sliding door.